1.1 CELE Structure, Format, Scoring, and 2026 Subject Order

1.1 CELE Structure, Format, Scoring, and 2026 Subject Order

The Civil Engineers Licensure Examination (CELE) is the technical examination that Section 8 of Republic Act No. 544 (the Civil Engineering Law) requires before anyone may register to practice civil engineering in the Philippines. The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) administers it through the Professional Regulatory Board of Civil Engineering. Under Section 9(h) of RA 8981 (the PRC Modernization Act of 2000), the Board prepares the Tables of Specifications (TOS) that define what may be asked. Questions must stay within that scope.

This section summarizes the official structure first, so that every later chapter can be tied to a specific TOS line.

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Official Documents That Define the Exam

The 2022 TOS classifies items as Easy (remembering and understanding), Moderate (applying and analyzing), or Difficult (evaluating and creating). It also states that each TOS must reflect the knowledge, skills, values, application, and independence descriptors of the Philippine Qualifications Framework (RA 10968).

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The Three Subjects, Sessions, and Item Counts

Resolution No. 01, s. 2026 moved Principles of Structural Analysis and Design to the first day and lengthened its session. The Board's stated reasons were a more balanced distribution of subjects and "a more reasonable time to solve seventy-five (75) test questions requiring computations."

Before March 2026, the order was AMSTHC (Day 1 morning, 5 hours), HGE (Day 1 afternoon, 4 hours), and PSAD (Day 2 morning, 5 hours). Total examination time therefore rose from 14 to 15 hours.

The HGE TOS sheet carries the heading "Total (for 100 items)", but its item column sums to 50 and its weights sum to 100%. Treat 50 as the TOS item count, and confirm the actual booklet length on your examination program.

Pacing implied by the official numbers

Most items require computation, so these averages are tight. You should be able to solve routine problems, such as tape corrections, Manning's equation, or beam reactions, in 2–3 minutes, which banks time for situational sets.

What each subject's TOS contains

• PSAD (25 competencies, 3 items each). Engineering mechanics; strength of materials; theory of structures (six competencies, including influence lines, indeterminacy, and pattern loading); reinforced and prestressed concrete; steel beams and columns, including eccentric loads; bolted and welded connections; spread footings and pile loads; construction materials testing and concrete mix proportioning.
• AMSTHC (15 areas × 5 competencies, 1 item each). Calculus; differential equations; engineering data analysis; numerical methods; physics for engineers; engineering economics; construction surveying and layout; materials for construction; highway engineering; construction occupational safety and health (including RA 11058); transportation engineering; quantity surveying; construction principles; construction trades and specialties; construction equipment and methods.
• HGE (13 topics). Fluid properties (1 item), hydrostatic pressure and center of pressure (8), fluid flow (6), buoyancy and flotation (4), hydrodynamics (3), water supply (4), soil properties (4), soil classification (2), permeability and seepage (3), stresses in soil mass (6), soil strength (2), settlement (6), and foundation engineering (1).

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Subject Weights and the Passing Rule

PRC's current documents (the 2022 TOS and the 2026 schedule resolution) list subjects and item counts but do not restate subject weights. The weighting used in schools and review programs is 35% / 35% / 30%. It comes from Board Resolution No. 68 (1998), which assigned 35% to the mathematics–surveying–transportation subject, 30% to hydraulics and geotechnical engineering, and 35% to the structural and construction subject. Board Resolution No. 08, s. 2009 proposed equal 33⅓% weights with 4-hour sessions, but the 5-hour and 4-hour sessions still in use follow the older scheme.

The rating rule applied to the CELE is a general weighted average of at least 70%, with no rating below 50% in any subject. Using the 35/35/30 weights:

$$\text{GWA} = 0.35\,R_{\text{PSAD}} + 0.35\,R_{\text{AMSTHC}} + 0.30\,R_{\text{HGE}}$$

Example. With ratings of PSAD 78%, AMSTHC 74%, and HGE 52%: $0.35(78) + 0.35(74) + 0.30(52) = 27.30 + 25.90 + 15.60 = 68.80\%$. The candidate fails on the average even though every subject is at or above 50%. With HGE at 58%, the average becomes $70.60\%$, which passes.

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Schedule, Testing Centers, and Recent Results

PRC's 2026 schedule lists two regular CELE administrations: March 26–27, 2026 (Thursday–Friday) and September 26–27, 2026 (Saturday–Sunday). They are held in NCR, Baguio, Butuan, Cagayan de Oro, Calapan, Cebu, Davao, Iloilo, Koronadal, Legazpi, Lucena, Pagadian, Palawan, Pampanga, Rosales, Tacloban, Tuguegarao, Zamboanga, and Ilocos Sur. The schedule also lists a Special Professional Licensure Examination for civil engineers on May 29–30, 2026, in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Taiwan.

Roughly two of every three examinees fail, so treat passing as a coverage problem, not a talent problem.

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Calculators and Examination-Room Rules

Board Resolution No. 05, s. 2024 removed the Casio fx-570ES Plus, with or without a transparent or smoked casing, from the list of allowed calculators. The Board cited incident reports of tampered units being used as communication devices. The annexed list includes models such as:

• Casio: fx-991S, fx-991W, fx-570MS, fx-350ES PLUS, fx-350EX, fx-82ES PLUS, fx-82EX
• Canon: F-789SGA (transparent casing), F-718SGA
• Sharp: EL-W531TH-WH (transparent casing), EL-531XH
• Texas Instruments: TI-30XS, TI-36X Pro

Popular solar-programmable or ClassWiz models are not on the list unless the annex names them, for example the fx-991EX and fx-991CW. Check the current annex and your Notice of Admission before buying a calculator, and practice on the exact model you will bring.

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A Study Strategy Matched to the TOS

1. Map before you study. Use the competency lists above as your checklist. Every chapter in this guide states which TOS lines it serves.
2. Protect the 50% floor. HGE has the fewest items and the shortest session, and one bad afternoon can sink an otherwise strong candidate. Keep at least one HGE problem set in every review week.
3. Rehearse the 2026 order. Your first block of the exam is now a 6-hour structural session. Build stamina with full-length PSAD mocks on a weekday morning.
4. Use situational sets. Reviewers commonly group 3 related items around one figure. Read all 3 questions before computing, because the second or third often reuses intermediate values.